Exposure Therapy
by Yadia
Summary: Oneshot starting where the show left us hangig and my shot on how Chloe might get to terms with the whole revelation. English is not my native language so please bear my mistakes :)


I only just felt like putting something here, so in case you already read the story: no changes.

Just wanted to let you know that this is actually the first story I ever uploaded and I hope you like it. English is not my mothertongue so forgive my mistakes ;) From rereading it again it feels a little rushed to myself but I still like the idea. I can't see Chloe breaking over the revelation. She is strong and way too hardheaded, so I feel like she will force herself to accept it in order not to lose Lucifer.

Well, read my idea on how it might unfold :) Comments are very welcome and highly appreciated :)

* * *

The first couple of days after seeing his other face she was stunned. Functioning only in the most necessary occasions, like handling Trixie or drawing breath. And she even convinced Dan to take care of Trixie so she would not need to keep it together for her. It took her three days to break out of her stupor and three more days to arrive at the point where she finds herself right now: wondering why it feels so horribly wrong to be away from him for nearly a week now. It is close to one p.m. and this thought just will not let her sleep. It takes her another twenty minutes to decide that this is not how it is supposed to be. She is getting angry with herself again for not getting in contact with him, for leaving him hanging though he - as it turned out - has always been perfectly honest with her. Jumping out of bed she ties her hair into a messy bun and puts on a jeans and the first t-shirt she got her hands on. Finishing her look with some boots she is out the door and steering her car in the direction of LUX. She has been unfair to him she deduces after going through the events of the last week again.

" _It's all true!" she breathes and stumbles backwards, away from him and the horrific face she sees. "Detective?" It sounds like him. It is his suit and shoes and everything but not the handsome face and dark eyes that she got to know so very well over the last years. When she does not respond and increases the distance between them realization dawns on him. He touches his face, feels the burned skin and the scars and drops his gaze to the floor, away from her. "Guess now you know" he says with a bitter little laugh at the end. And she can not say a thing. "I'm trying to get rid of it but it seems I'm not quite able to right now. Apologies Detective." He looks around and she does the same. There are bloody white feathers everywhere and men knocked out cold on the floor. "We better get rid of the divine parts of this scenery" he says and in the next instance the feathers are lit up and burned to nothing but ashes in no time. He bends down and retrieves the dagger from where it was buried in Pierce's breast and only then he looks at her again. They stare at each other in silence for what feels like forever before he is finally able to switch his face back to 'normal'. Only then she releases a breath she has been holding but still does not manage a single word but he is easier to look at now. "Detec...Chloe, please" he begs her. She is not sure for what but there is a pleading in his voice like his very existence depends on her and she just can not move or speak or do whatever he wants her to. "I wanted to tell you. Hell - I did tell you but you never believed me! I wanted to make you understand but not like this!" He rakes his left hand through his tousled hair and is giving her this pleading look again "Please say something, anything." But she can not. And then chaos breaks loose around them when Dan comes crashing in with a special team on his heels._

After that they were guided away from the scene. People were talking and asking and doing all the stuff they are supposed to as the good cops they are but still no talking on her part. Lucifer on the other hand painted a vivid picture of how they came to understand that the Lieutenant was the 'Sinnerman', how they got lured into his trap and what unfolded on the scene. From what she gathered over the next days he told them that they were attacked but were able to duck for cover. Then some friendly fire on the bad guys side and them seizing their chances during the chaos to knock some of them out and make an escape to the roof from where she was able to call for backup. When they went back down there was some more luck on their behalf and only Pierce was left standing. He told them that she tried to reason with him but to no avail and in the following scrummage that broke loose when Pierce tried to attack Chloe and Lucifer interfered the Lieutenant was killed by means of self defence.

Because of everything that happened and because people assumed that she was so very shocked about the loss of her ex-fiancé she was told to stay at home and that she did. It was with Trixie that she found her voice again. Telling her that everything was fine, that she was good and just needed some time to get through all of this. The first day Trixie, who was obviously relieved that her mom was well and full of praises for Lucifer because he saved her life, stayed with her. But she had a hard time playing tough for Trixie. She was exhausted from laying awake at night thinking and thinking and thinking until she fell into a restless sleep from which she woke with a reddish face burning before her inner eye. So she convinced both Trixie and Dan that she could handle on her own and asked Dan to take Trixie in for a couple of days because it would be better for her than seeing her mom moping around all day. Trixie would come by every day to check on her and after an hour or two of reassuring her that she was indeed well left to her dads home.

When she breaks out out of her flashback she is surprised that she is already parked at LUX and her next move would be to leave the car and enter the building. From what it seems it is a busy night at LUX with people queueing up in front of the entrance waiting to get inside. She shoves away her doubts and the thoughts about turning around and going back to bed and makes herself unbuckle the seatbelt and leave the car. She skips all of the line under the scrutinizing eyes of the dressed up party-goers and stirs quite a riot when she is let through the doors without a second thought in her disheveled outfit. She quickly scans the club but can not find him which leaves her in front of the elevator doors ready to go up into quite literally the devil's lair.

"I would not go up there if I were you" comes a nasty comment from her right side. A blonde bombshell in a way too short skirt and a skintight red top looks her up and down and continues "One you do not look like someone he would fancy and two he is in such a bad mood that he even kicked me out." On the last part she sees horror in the girls eyes that she tries to cover. "I fancy my chances" she states matter of factly, steps inside the elevator and can not help but to feel thankful for the little push as the doors close and the ascent to the penthouse begins. Only when she is already halfway to the top does she realize that the girl told her that he is indeed home and she will actually see him in only a few seconds.

Upon the opening of the doors there is a growl coming from within the penthouse "I think I made it clear enough that I don't want anybody up here. So. Get. The. Fuck. Out. Of. Here!". She stops on the threshold and takes in the sight before her. His sofa is turned upside down and the coffee table lies broken next to the stairs that lead to his bedroom. His desk is broken in two and shoved into the bookshelves behind it. The usually well stocked bar is nonexistent with the shelves and bottles lying broken on the floor and glass shards all over the place. Even his piano is smashed into the wall though with less force it seems and the piano bank came to rest right next to the elevator doors. He was sitting in the middle of all this mess with his back turned towards her and a surviving liquor bottle in hand. "Hey" is all she manages to say but it gets to him. He is on his feet in an instant, whirling himself around to stare at her. A small, breathless "Chloe" is all he manages and then they are silent again.

She does not ask what happened because she can imagine. She left him hanging and he lashed out at anything within his reach, which happened to be his furniture and people daring to come close to him. But she came to talk and so she grabs the piano bank and shoves it onto the threshold - there will be no disturbances this time.

"Hi" she starts again. This time it is him who can not speak. Stunned by the fact that she actually came back to him. "Listen Lucifer" she says and takes a couple of steps into the penthouse "I'm really sorry I left you hanging like that! I've been thinking about all of this for the last days non stop and I figured I needed to see you!" He stares at her in awe like she is some magical being or endangered species.

"You are really here, aren't you?" he asks and his voice sounds so unsure and small that it breaks her heart a little bit. "Yes, yes, I'm here and I'm sorry!" she hurries to say and takes another step in his direction "And I want to understand and I want to manage and I want 'us' back" she states putting the 'us' in little air quotes "so… Show me again!"

"Pardon?!" is all he manages. "Show me!" she repeats. "I doubt that this is a good idea" he says and she fears that he is going to shut her out and hurries to continue "I was shocked, okay? I will manage." and a little softer she adds "So, show me." And with a last insecure nod in her direction he complies and then his other face is back.

She can not help but stare for a short moment and she feels herself catch a breath upon seeing his beautiful face turn into the reddish visage that has been waking her every night since seeing it for the first time. But this was not the time to fall back into shock. She wants to, needs to manage and so she forces herself to take a deep breath "Okay. I'm talking, okay?." She realizes that she did not think this through to the end. What now? "Okay," she starts again "now tell me something."

He musters her "What would you like to hear Detective?"

"Oh no" she thinks, he is going back to 'Detective' closing himself off. "Something only you know - something only we now" she says with a heavy emphasis on the 'we'. He gives her an uncertain look then slowly "Like when you came to me in the middle of the night and basically threw yourself at me and then flew from the penthouse in the morning?" even on his burned face she can make out his smug little smile and it warms her heart more than she likes to admit. "Yeah, something like that" she says and can not help her own little smile playing around the corners of her mouth.

"Or when I got up early to prepare breakfast for you and you welcomed me with your gun in hand?" he asks, more certain now. "You broke into my house" she says but smiles nonetheless and takes another step towards him.

"Or that time when you came to me as a friend and we played this stupid little song on the piano." She gets more confident with everything he says. It is still his voice. His wonderful velvet, british accent loaded voice.

"Or when you tracked me down to that beach and I told you that you deserve someone better and you kissed me even though I'm nowhere close to worthy of you" he says his voice loaded with so much emotion and she feels tears well up inside her eyes. The burned face does not look so horrific anymore. Accompanied by his voice she can somewhat see him in it.

"Or when you told me that you missed your prom and we had our own little prom at LUX. Just the two of us and you were so happy and beautiful" Now the tears are rolling down her cheeks and she is standing right in front of him. She does not feel uncomfortable or scared. Somehow it feels right. Being with him has always felt just right.

"Or that time when I realized that you already picked me and then you kissed me again." His voice was down to a soft rumble but she heard every word and with all the tenderness in his voice she could not help but to lift her right hand up to his face. He flinches upon the touch but does not draw away and does not avert his gaze. Good.

"I told you I'll manage" she says and a bright smile breaks across her face. "Yes. You never cease to amaze me". She feels her cheeks heat up.

"So, now don't get me wrong, but I think I do like your other face better" she says with a smug smile "this is even harder to read."

And he laughs. And her heart pounds so hard in her chest that she is sure he will hear it. When he lowers his eyes back to hers he fixes her gaze and switches his face back. "Oh, hi" she breathes while her thumb strokes across his cheek.

"Hi darling." And then she can not stop herself from getting up to her toes and pecking him on the lips "I missed you, you know?" He gives her a bewildered look for a second before he grabs her face with his right hand and draws her in for a deep kiss.

When they break apart to catch their breaths he looks at her as if woken from a dream "I thought I would never see you again" he admits. "I could never stay away from you" she says and from then on there is no more talking.

He grabs onto her waist and draws her flush against him and dives in for another passionate kiss. And she is nowhere to protest. She is the first to start clawing on his jacket and the stupid buttons on his dress shirt to get the obstruction off of him.

At some point he rewards her with a chuckle and a smug "Eager, are we?" at her ear but she does not care and instead breathes back a hoarse "You want me to stop?" Which has the desired effect of a low growl and him grabbing the hem of her shirt and having her undressed and in his arms in no time. He carries her over to the bed and when they can not stand the foreplay any longer sheaths himself inside of her and she is sure that this is how heaven must feel like. Hours later they are both too exhausted to continue and fall asleep wrapped tightly around each other.

A few hours later the sun streaming in through the window front wakes her up first. He is still pressed flush against her back, his arms wrapped securely around her and his head nested into her hair. She is exhausted but so content and happy. Her absentmindedly circle drawing on his arms stirs him awake. "Good morning darling" he breathes close to her ear and kisses the spot below and down to her collarbone.

"Good morning" she replies and turns her head around just enough to capture his lips for a short kiss. "Hmm" he hums in contentment "I could get used to waking up like this." She turns herself around completely to look at him. "Me too" she says and smiles brightly at him. "Me too" she repeats and then kisses him again.


End file.
